California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, CA · Private · Large suburb · CIA · CalArts
Private institution in Valencia, CA · 881 undergraduates · 26% acceptance rate · $41,198 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 6%Acceptance rate
- Top 7%Student-faculty ratio
- Top 21%Full-time retention
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $47,1831,951st cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $56,7241,897th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $56,7241,895th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $78,4251,879th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $25,0001,238th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $41,1981,551st highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $28,0181,787th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 64.1%618th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 86.2%377th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 25.9%99th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- —
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 8811,433rd largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 7.0:1144th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 22.1%1,591st highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 33 mi (LAX)
On 2 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 9 of 9 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $24,730 | $20,140 |
| MusicVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $24,615 | — |
| DanceVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $22,420 | $15,182 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $22,329 | $22,420 |
| Arts, Entertainment,and Media ManagementVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | — | — |
| Computer Software and Media ApplicationsComputer Science | bachelors | — | — |
| Design and Applied ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | — | $49,840 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | — | — |
| Visual and Performing Arts, OtherVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to California Institute of the Arts’s 881 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In CA
Elsewhere
- Albertus Magnus CollegeNew Haven, CT · 882 undergrads
- Westminster UniversitySalt Lake City, UT · 882 undergrads
- Gallaudet UniversityWashington, DC · 879 undergrads
- Milwaukee Institute of Art & DesignMilwaukee, WI · 883 undergrads
- Webber International UniversityBabson Park, FL · 879 undergrads
- American Samoa Community CollegePago Pago, AS · 884 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitecalarts.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 111081)
- Compare colleges in CARe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in CaliforniaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Loma Linda UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: California Institute of the Arts vs Loma Linda UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.